Matchroom and Queensberry Promotions close in on finalizing their “5 v 5” undercard battles, set to take place on the same night as the much-awaited undisputed light-heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitrii Bivol in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Scheduled for June 1, this unique alliance between Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom and Frank Warren's Queensberry aims to elevate the excitement surrounding the event by featuring a series of high-stakes matches across various weight classes.
The lineup promises a mix of heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, and featherweight bouts. Highlighting the heavyweight category, Deontay Wilder is slated to face Zhilei Zhang in a matchup that pits Matchroom’s wildcard against Queensberry’s contender. Another heavyweight clash anticipated to draw significant attention is between Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois. This fight could potentially be for the IBF title, contingent on the outcome of the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk bout happening in May.
In the featherweight division, despite Nick Ball's recent draw with Rey Vargas, the initial plan to match him against Matchroom's WBA champion Raymond Ford will proceed. Light heavyweight action will see Craig Richards, who once faced Bivol, likely going up against Willy Hutchinson following his recent victory over Martin Houben. The middleweight contest is set to feature Hamzah Sheeraz against Matchroom’s Austin “Ammo” Williams, finalizing what promises to be an electrifying night of boxing.
Image Credit: DAZN